''What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?''

- Vincent Van Gogh

Amazing quote by a famous artist, something to ponder about

CONTROVERSIAL ART

Good Evening! my fellow readers if there are to be any of them around. Well i wouldn't be surprised if there weren't any, my blog can be considered dead clearly it has been neglected for a very long time, more like abandoned. Its been a rather interesting two months the start of the year 2011. Frankly speaking this whole month was filled with agenda's and events never had much time to get inspired to write about anything.But today seems like a quiet Saturday for me, and i have the privilege to update my 'dead' blog. 

Today i would be blogging about CONTROVERSIAL ART! Amazing right, I was thinking of making a little change rather than talking to you about the many artists or the paintings, which i  had actually done, let me expose you to some unique art that has gained controversial. I would be blogging more about art works that have caused controversy's in the USA.

So lets have a look at some really interesting and gastronomical art, that has turned heads and made it to the mouths and ears of everyone.

The latest story which I had actually spotted in the news paper was about the statue called "Triumph of Civic Virtue," or famously known as "Eyesore Next Door"by the people of Queens Borough, New York. It was considered ''sexist'' by the people, because the statue was depicting a naked man representing ''civic virtue'' trampling on two sirens of ''vice '' and ''corruption''.  The statue crafted 100 years ago, is supposed to depict civic virtue , triumphant over twin sirens of vice and corruption. Well if you look at the picture i cant really see faces of the sirens, but the citizens would know better than me, the picture might not be clear ( I will post it below this post viewing). The world has evolved so rapidly, and women were not people of those days, where it was mandatory for girls to sot at home and do all the chores like cooking, cleaning, and nurturing the kids. And the other hand the men would have to be the breadwinner of the family, so he is permitted to study and go wherever he wants to. The 21st century is flooded with working mom who can balance their working life and family life. Therefore this statue is kind of reminding the woman race about their weakness. They have to always follow their husbands commands, no compromising, no opinions. Its always 'YES'. I can actually relate to why ''vice'' and ''corruption'' are linked to the sirens, representing women and the ''civic virtue'' representing men? Is it because at that point of time I don't know, but I am making an assumption, that maybe women were involved in prostitution. The men are always correct? No! Nobody is perfect, that why is that one gender is more superior to the other? Well during that time, there were no freedom of speech or equality especially equality to gender. But today, women are the leading people nationwide. Look at Oprah! She is wealthy, famous and loved! And she came from a background where she was abused and raped by her own cousin brother. So how is it that the man are better than women? As for the art, we cant blame anyone, times have evolved and so are the minds and perspective of people. It was also reported that some leaders don't want to tear down the statue, after they heard reports that the statue was going to be sold to the craigslist to raise some fund and the fact that the citizens thought the statue was a disdain by depicting elements of gender superiority.  "It's been one of the board's top priorities for years to have that statue restored," said Mary Ann Carey, district manager of Community Board 9 in Queens. "We're not looking to destroy art." The statue was initially placed outside City Hall and eventually banished to Queens by Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia, reportedly because he was tired of being "mooned" every time he walked in and out of the building.Well i had voiced out my opinion and I am sure its very biased but  not sure of that some of you think about it. This is the picture, have a look at it and ponder whether the art value of this statue or the message presents should be considered.  To read more about this controversy these are a few sites you can go to find out more info.

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2011/02/25/2011-02-25_pols_say_selling_sexist_statue_on_craigslist_would_be_a_civic_virtue.html

The next few art works that I am about to show you has gained ''fame'' for its uniqueness and it can be quite weird but interesting, the way art is presented in many styles, depending on the creativity and emotions of the artist. Have a look and Enjoy!

Artist Cosimo Cavallaro looks over his Chocolate Jesus in Long Island City, Queens, in March 2007. The 6-foot-tall, anatomically correct sculpture opens October 27 in a new exhibit in Chelsea after being booted from its previous location.

The new exhibit, entitled 'Chocolate Saints ... Sweet Jesus,' includes eight chocolate saints surrounding the Chocolate Jesus sculpture. The original Chocolate Jesus exhibit drew protests from Catholic groups when it was unveiled just before Easter 2007. 

The Chocolate Jesus wasn't the only work of art to make headlines this year. In May 2007, artist Daniel Edwards released his 'Paris Hilton Autopsy' sculpture, depicting the nude heiress and her dog in an unglamorous pose. Edwards said the sculpture - which included an interactive abdominal cavity - is designed to warn of the dangers of drunk driving. It was shown at the Capla Kesting Fine Art gallery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Among Edwards' other works is this 'presidential bust' of Senator Hillary Clinton, which went on display at the Museum of Sex in Manhattan in August 2006. 'Presented in a low cut gown, her cleavage is on display prominently, portraying sexual power which some people still consider too threatening,' Edwards said in a statement.

The Brooklyn Museum of Art hosted the controversial 'Sensation' exhibit in 1999. The show prompted then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani to attempt to cut funding for the museum unless a painting depicting the Virgin Mary embellished with elephant dung was removed.

The painting, by British artist Chris Ofili, also included two dozen cutouts of buttocks from pornographic magazines.

Another British artist, Damien Hirst, caused a stir in 1996 when his work went on display as part of an exhibit at The Gagosian Gallery in SoHo. A giant ashtray full of real smoked butts and crushed empty packs fills the middle of the exhibit space.This is actually one of my favourites, i don't know what are the artists main intentions are, but it shows how the world is getting polluted by this dirty habit and its spreading like a disease, everyone has a cigarette in between their fingers. Feel like death is nearing if there isnt a change. 

The same Hirst exhibit also featured animals preserved in formaldehyde - like this pig, sliced in half to reveal its inner anatomy. This picture might have really offended many people as it portray animal cruelty. To me its just plain weird and disgusting. But hey its still ART!

TO: A LOVED ONE, SNOWEEY BOY!

Happy New Year!! to everyone and anyone who has been tuning into this dull blog and my hope for this year would be to make my blog as interesting as possible, obviously not distracting myself from the main theme, which is about ART! Its not going to be easy, I am confident I will get there. And lets hope this year would not be such a tough year!! Yes i am being optimistic, knowing that dreaded semester 2 exams,tests,assignments and presentations would be starting on the 10th of January, followed by a crucial semester 3, I guess there is no harm in being optimistic! And that is my new years resolution, Be more OPTIMISTIC! I hope it would do me some good!

My topic today would be a little personal, as it is something very close to me, and will always be. You must be baffled reading the title above, Snoweey was non other than my beloved, rambunctious,loving and smart dog.It was a mongrel, and boy he looked handsome! Its white from above his pitch-black nose, straight down to his tail but was the tip was finished by a brilliant golden brown and also the tip of his ears! The apple of our eyes! The most spoiled and attention seeking creature. I can never forget how he use to whine and cry whenever we remained ignorant to his barking and how his tail which curved so perfectly, loses its shapes as soon as it is wagged uncontrollably seeing us. His deep growl and bark, made people fear him, and when his paws stamps on your feet, there would be a mark for sure. Just writing about him, swells my heart. He looked more like a Labrador retriever rather than a mongrel, my uncle gave him to us, I was about 10 years old when Snoweey came into our life.I still vividly remember the day, when death claimed him. It was 3 years ago, 24th Oct 2008. I remember it so well, as I could never forget the day, I had an end-term test to sit for, and heavy heartedly left for school. Snoweey was suffering from kidney stones. The doctor said that nothing could be done about it, if they had operated him, he also would never make it and might die during the operation, So we took him home, and the only thing i was able to do was to cry. Death is horrifying,whether its someone you know, or you don't, to an animal, or any living being of that sort, its just so scary to see it claim its slave. I mustered all the courage in me, to answer my modern maths paper and not end up crying. It was hard to see our Snoweey suffer in pain, and we had decided to end it, by euthanizing him. We kept him as long as we could, but he didn't eat neither did he even have the strength to get up. He looked like a pile of bones and it was very painful and stung us deep down inside. I envied my younger brother, as he had the chance to lay his bonny head on his lap and caress his skeleton body. My brother said he felt a certain wind pass by him, and tingled the wind chimes as soon as Snoweey let out his last breath. I came home to an empty house, visions of Snoweey barking and welcoming me at home, made me cry uncontrollably. He was 5 years dog age, when he left us, 35 years old human age. i miss him so VERY much! Looking at his pictures, just makes me happy that he has gone to a better place, where there is no pain and suffering, after all that he has done for us.

i found a picture that looked just like Snoweey from the net, I cant upload any of his pictures as they are all in an album and i require a scanner, which i don't have currently. This picture very much looks like him.

P.S: I MISS YOU BOY!!

With Lots of Love : Kareshma

The Tales of Peter Rabbit, Beatrix Potter

Beatrix Potter 

"Once upon a time there were four little Rabbits, and their names were - Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail, and Peter. They lived with their Mother in a sand-bank, underneath the root of a very big tree" (from The Tale of Peter Rabbit, 1902)

I am sure that this is a very famous and an unforgettable line indeed, Its from a very famous children storybook, by the very renowned author Beatrix Potter. Such a talented writer she is, and not only that she also has a love for art, and a very erudite person indeed. It her biography, it was said that she entertained herself by painting, referring to specimens form the National History Museum or sketching nature in the Lake District where the family spent holidays. This is a very surprising fact indeed. So we all know that authors not only write but some of them have the interest for ART!. I feel so elated hearing reading about Beatrix Potter.According to her statement, Beatrix Potter had not the slightest regret of not attending school, I guess she felt she hasn't missed out much, as mentioned earlier she is an erudite student and was also interested in studying the subject of SCIENCE, and also developed her own theory on the germination of fungus spores. How interesting, from what i read I can conclude that she is an all-rounder, Even if she didn't attend school, she developed her theory and ALSO left a large body of remarkable science illustrations on fossils,mosses,lichens,wild flowers, microscope drawings and most importantly, fungi which she donated to the Armitt Trust. She published a number of children's books with watercolour illustration and in addition she also oversaw the whole production and designing process.Beatrix Potter really knew what children, ages from 6 -12 years really wanted to see, they not only wanted words, but also fun and friendly characters, they can relate to and also, nurture them to read. Not only she wrote but she also paid attention to the designs and illustrations that were to be printed out in the book. Well her hard work certainly paid off, as it is one of the classic stories that can be enjoyed from time to time. Its magic would never wear off. I still remember having the whole collection stacked at the side of my bed, and I would often flip through the pages to find out what trouble would Peter Rabbit always get into enjoying the warm colours and and illustrations. As a child, Beatrix or she was also known as Helen, was encouraged to draw, as she spent her holidays at picturesque places, she drew pictures of animals, insects and plants, but her imaginative features were of rabbits in bibs, and mice whose paws are busy spinning and knitting.And this amazing imagination of hers resulted ''The Tales of Peter Rabbit'', and also many other collection of children storybooks. SO conclusion, art is not only for the men race, but also women too, and who said authors only write stories, they are talented, and Miss Beatrix Potter has certainly proven this fact by indulging children in not only her magical words and stories but also her ART!!! Lets give a round of applause for this amazing person!!

These are some of her Artwork, enjoy!
Kareshma=D

GREAT ARTISTS!

Good afternoon fellow readers!! (if there are any) =D
Yes!! for the FIA students (July-2010), its a jolly holiday i must say, so it is a very lazy and sleepy afternoon. Well lets not think about sleepiness. Sleeping in the afternoon makes me grumpy and tired. I am a rather peculiar person, but nope sleeping in the afternoon doesn't make me feel rejuvenated. Well then lets move on! Today i would be talking about GREAT ARTISTS! Some of them you might know of , and some of them which still remains foreign to us. Its a pity that we find art a boring subject, I mean reading about its origins, what it actually means, and the reason to why it was created. Well i know that Lewis Carol, the author of Alice in Wonderland, wrote the book because he was high on heroine, and some people also say that he was dumped by his girlfriend, and some even say that to he was pedophile, and he wrote this story to attract a girl named Alice. Whatever the reason maybe, these great people, didn't create something out of the blue, they wanted to proof something or another, or express the way the felt. Art often connects with the soul, as it portrays emotions and thoughts. I am not quite sure if you have seen the episode on Desperate Housewives, when Teri Hatcher's ex-husbands son, drew a very horrific picture during her Art class, and when everyone else drew rainbows and unicorns. It actually shows that art is the main tool for a kid to also express his or herself. Its a very useful tool i must say. But its actually kind of complicated to find out the reason why artists during the ancient times painted pictures of Nude Woman, and this often became their best selling items. When i skim through books about art, there is always the presence of a Nude Woman.I guess it was their way of portraying the beauty of the woman, and that during those times, it was the correct way of doing it i guess. Well today let me share with you about the 10 greatest artist and their masterpiece.




1. Michelangelo
Italian sculptor, painter and architect. Michelangelo's output in every field during his long life was prodigious. Two of his best known works, "The Pieta" and "The David" are monumental masterpieces in sculpture. Despite his low opinion of painting, he created two of the most influential works, in fresco, in the history of western art. The scenes from the "Genesis" and "The Last Judgment" in the Sistine Chapel. He later designed the dome of St. Peters and revolutionized classical architecture with his invention of the giant order of pilasters. His works are priceless and untouchable.

The Pieta

2.Rembrandt (1606-1669) 
Dutch painter and etcher. He is generally considered on of the greatest painters and printmakers in art history. Rembrandt's greatest creative works are his portraits of his contemporaries, his self-portraits (90 paintings in all) and illustrations of scenes from the Bible. Among his 300 paintings are some of the greatest masterpieces in "Chiaroscuro", dramatic use of light and shadow, most notable are "Nightwatch", "The Anatomy Lesson", "The Blinding of Samson", and "The Syndics". His painting and etchings, when found, fetch tens of millions at major art auctions. A Dutch museum recently paid over $80 million dollars for one of his portraits. The most expensive work of art ever acquired by a Dutch museum.

Rembrandt (self-portrait)

I also read that the word ''Chiasocuro'' is Italian and means light and dark, it was first used to describe a type of painting on medium dark paper. Rembrandt knew the value of ''Chiasocuro'' direct lighting but he softened the edges and lessened the contrast of ''true''Chiasocuro to portray a calmness through his paintings.

I hope i am not boring all of you out there, as this is actually good information, and i find it rather interesting, as there are techniques that are used by great sculptors and painters to beautify their work of art, and i believe that putting these techniques to good use, anyone of us can succeed. Moving on to the third person, we all talk about his name, and know him, but not as famous at Leonardo Da Vinci.

3. Pablo Picasso (1881-1973)

Spanish painter and sculptor. One of the most recognized figures in 20th century art, best known as co-founder with Braque, of cubism. Most prolific and influential of all modern artists, Picasso's most famous work, "Guernica", is one of the greatest statements against the inhumanity, brutality and hopelessness of war. His "Demoiselles D'Avignon", inspired by African artifacts, caused a revolution in the art world and led to cubism, one of the greatest artistic movements. His works are regularly in the top ten most expensive paintings ever sold. Tow of them are currently on the top ten, totaling over $200 million dollars.

Pablo Picasso Guernica

I am sure there are some art terms that all of us don't quite understand, for example the word Cubism, which is actually pioneered by the great Pablo Picasso himself and George Braque. Cubism artwork, as you can see above, objects are broken up, analyzed, and re-assembled in an abstracted form—instead of depicting objects from one viewpoint, the artist depicts the subject from a multitude of viewpoints to represent the subject in a greater context. Well we can clearly observe that its very different from the normal art we have seen above. There are many types of art! I will be discussing about this during the next post! It will be truly intriguing to know facts about something that we all thought was simple.

4.Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890)

Dutch post-impressionist artist. His paintings and drawings include some of the world's best known, most popular and most expensive pieces. Three of his works are currently on the top ten list of most expensive paintings ever. "Portrait of Dr. Gachet" (far from one of his best), sold for $116.8 million, "Portrait of the artist without beard" fetched $71.7 million, "Irises" sold for 78.4 million. Not bad for an artist who was mentally ill and died in poverty. He produced more than 2,000 works, including 900 paintings and 1,100 drawings and sketches, a prolific amount considering he lived only 37 years.

I have seen his artwork, and i actually love the Starry Night. a very beautiful picture. I have always hope to see a starry night like that. I dont know why, but i think its maybe because of the colours and the longing to see something that has been depicted so beautifully in a picture, real life.

Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh

5.Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519)

Italian painter, sculptor, scientist, engineer, and inventor. The archetype of the Renaissance man or universal genius. Although he produced few works of art, he is widely considered to be on of greatest artists of all time and perhaps the most-diversely talented person ever to have lived. Two of his works, "Mona Lisa", and "The Last Supper" are perhaps the most famous, most reproduced and most parodied portrait and religious painting of all time. They are priceless and untouchable. One drawing, a study for the "Adoration of the Magi" sold for $11.4 million. Billionaire Bill Gates paid $30 million for his Codex Leicester (one of his notebooks).

Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinci

How can we ever forget this masterpiece, its a very famous one, and also used in many movies,comedy and are even display pictures on Facebook, and some are even edited with faces of paris hilton, micheal jackson. It such a pity, i would feel insulted if my painting were to be edited in such a way. I read that Mona Lisa is actually a Florentine woman who married a well-known figure  Francesco del Giocondo, and thus came to be known as ``La Gioconda''. The work should probably be dated during Leonardo's second Florentine period, that is between 1503 and 1505. Leonardo himself loved the portrait

The Last Supper By Leonardo Da Vinci

6. Claude Monet (1840-1926)

French impressionist painter. Monet was a founder of French Impressionism, the most consistent and prolific artist of this major art movement. The term impressionism is derived from the title of one of his paintings. He has produced more masterpieces than any other artist of his time. In his eighties, he was selling paintings faster than he could produce them. A painting from his "Water Lilies" series recently sold for $36.6 million, one of his numerous pieces that have sold in the millions.

Water Lillie's By Caude Monet

 7.Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640)
Flemish painter and proponent of a Baroque style that emphasized movement, color and sensuality. He is well known for his alter pieces, portraits, landscapes and history paintings of mythological and allegorical subjects. His famous painting "The Raising of the Cross" is held as the prime example of Baroque religious art. A recent discovered painting "Massacre of the Innocents" sold for $76.2 million. It is the current record for an old master painting.

The Raising Cross By Peter Paul Rubens 

I don't really know much about Claude Monet or Peter Paul Rubens, actually i am just reading about them, there are so many things they have actually contributed and I owe them a blog actually. I think it would be a good idea to talk about these people in depth as they are not just painters. There are many subdivisions, like Cubism, Impressionism, Surrealism. It all new to me to and i did like to learn more about it it would surely share it with you. For know please bare my lack of knowledge concerning this matter as i am just really new to it. 

8. Henri Matisse (1869-1954)

French painter, printmaker and sculptor. He is one of the best known artists of the 20th century, noted for his use of color and his fluid, brilliant and original draughtsmanship. Although labeled as a Fauvist (wild beast), by the 1920's, he was increasingly hailed as an upholder of the classical tradition in French painting. His mastery of the expressive language of color and drawing is apparent in a body of work spanning over a half century and won him recognition as a leading figure of modern art. A 1937 painting "L'Odalisque, Harmonie Bleue", sold for $33.6 million.

The Dance By Henri Mattisse

9. Joseph Turner (1775-1851)

English painter, watercolorist and printmaker known as the painter of light, his style can be said to have laid the foundation for the major art movement called impressionism. He is now regarded as the artist who elevated landscape painting to an eminence rivaling history painting. Although renowned for his oils, Turner is also one of the greatest masters of watercolor landscape painting. In 2006, one of his paintings sold for $35.8 million, an auction record for a work by a British artist.
 

The Slave Ship By Joseph Turner

10.Diego Velasquez (1599-1660)
Spanish painter. He was an individualistic artist of the contemporary Baroque period, important as a portrait artist. Many modern artists, including Picasso and Dali have paid tribute to him by recreating several of his famous works. His masterpiece "Las Meninas", called the perfect painting, is one of the most important and famous paintings in European art history and a classic of 17th century art. His painting "Saint Ruffina" sold for $17 million, the most expensive old master painting by a Spanish artist ever sold at auction.

The last piece above is Las Meninas by Velaquez.

I am sure all of you let out a sigh of relief after reading this blog of mine, but why should i create a theme which is so cliched like lifestyle, or politics or fashion, these are all the thing we know of, we can find it anywhere and in abundance, but i think we should all be exposed to facts that remain buried because of our ignorance.As for me, the more i do research and read about these people and art, it opens up my mind and makes me think more. I hope it would benefit to all of you.

Happy reading!

Have a nice Holiday!

Kareshma =D

HEY DIDDLE DIDDLE!

Does the title ring a bell?! Well i hope it does! Its a Nursery Rhyme! It still vividly etched in my mind, especially the part where the cow jumped over the moon and the dish ran away with the spoon!. Some of you out there might be lost. I will type out the rhyme after this with a few other familiar ones =). Well yes this is my second post! i am kind of addicted to blogging already. I just had many things that i wanted to post. So this post would be about poetry!! YES some of you might open your  eyes! and most of you would fall asleep.! but i am obviously not going to talk about the Sonnets! by William Shakespeare! His sonnets are still very obscure to me, and requires loads of reading and deep understanding of literature elements which i am not really equipped with. But poetry takes on many forms, and friendly ones, like Nursery Rhymes! Yes the ones about Mary Had A Little Lamb, Hey Diddle Diddle!! One of my all time favourites =D Mary Mary Quite Contrary! Wow i am just reminiscing all those times, when i used to just read all these rhymes, and look at the pictures that are animated so creatively!The nursery rhyme that my lecturer mentioned to us, was the HEY DIDDLE DIDDLE


Hey diddle diddle,
The cat and the fiddle
The cow jumped over the moon
The little dog laughed to see such fun
And the Dish ran away with the spoon!


I just loved the fact that the cow jumped over the moon and the dish ran away with the spoon! Its just so vivid. I am so curious to how it is still etched in my mind, and after reading and doing some research on nursery rhymes and its meanings, it was a type of entertainment to delight children with impossible imagery and Mr Walt Disney, used these elements in making great and memorable movies for young boys and girls. There are also reasons to why nursery rhymes are important to be exposed to children at primary level. One of the most important reason is to develop phonemic awareness in children. According to Tony Stead, Senior literacy consultant, Mondo Publishing, New York, shows that during the year 1945, an average elementary student has a vocabulary span of 10 000 words and todays children have only a vocabulary span of 2500 words. This is a problem, he adds o say that parents are not cultivating reading values into their children's daily life at a primary level. Many problems also arise for children who are not memorizing or being exposed to the bread- and butter of early children's literature. And also in order for children to understand what they are reading, they have to hear the language first.When kids are asked to create their own stories they rely on the square box of information,rather than their imagination. Its a pity. that imagination is readily drawn up by the media, and not the inner self. Some rhymes like ''Mary Mary Quite Contrary''. Have meaning of their own, after reading about its true meaning which is rather a gruesome truth, i realize that there are people out there creative enough to turn such a fact into a nursery rhyme, enjoyed by children all around the world. This is the true meaning of art to me. And today I am 18, and i am suppose to create a poem, and these research i have made really inspired me and i hope i would also be able to create IMPRESSIVE poetry or even nursery rhymes! Here are some of the nursery rhymes that would really bring back balmy memories of being a five year old kid.


Mary Mary Quite Contrary,
How does your garden grow,
With silver Bells cockle shells
and pretty maids all in a row.

Imaginative drawing create by Scottish artist Shona Penny

Mary in this traditional nursery rhyme  is actually reputed to be Mary Tudor who was the daughter of King Henry VII. Queen Mary was a staunch Catholic and the garden here is actually symbolizes graveyards which were actually increasing in size with those who dared to continue to adhere to the Protestan faith. The silver bells and cockle shells are actually colloquialisms for intruments of TORTURE! the silver bells are thumbscrews which crushed the thumb between two hard screws after tightening the screws! and cockle shells was an instrument of torture which was placed at the genitals. The maids here are  actually device to behead people called the maiden. It all sounds so gruesome, doesn't it. But lets look at how they have covered it up so well and made its way through generations and generations of children.
There are many other poems and nursery rhymes available.That actually have meanings behind its words. Its nice to know about some of the meaning and helps us appreciate values that are not valued by people today! Lets start reading more! for a brighter future and enhance our vocab!
Happy reading 
Thank You 
Kareshma =D